The Golden Telescope

17 - CONFRONTATION

PORTLAND, OREGON – PRESENT DAY

Come through the main entrance when you get home, Jack. Your uncle and I want to speak with you.

The text came from Aunt Lizzie in response to the message Jack sent her. He shared the info with Bill and Bart as they drove toward his home.

"Good luck with that," Bart scoffed. "I wonder what they want to talk to you about now—-the guy they have tailing you?" His irritation was apparent.

"Yeah, I guess I better act like I don't know about him... I'll text you after and give you the details," Jack said as they pulled up in front of the house, and he grabbed the door handle to get out.

"Thanks for trusting me with that info, Pop," he said, trying to smile at Bill as he climbed out. "I'm really confused about all of this right now...but it helps, in a strange sort of way, to know I have you..." He got out of the car and looked at Bart. "Wish me luck," he said, slamming the door closed.

It was weird going up the stairs to the front door, something he hadn't been allowed to do before now. So, he was cautious as he turned the brass knob before stepping into the beige stone and polished maple foyer.

"Oh, good, we're glad you're home," came Earl's familiar voice from the front room. "Come on in, we've been waiting for you."

Jack walked past where they were sitting and into the kitchen. "Let me just put my stuff in here first," he said as he walked, glancing in their direction.

He dropped his backpack and jacket onto a kitchen chair, then paused to take a deep breath before he turned around and entered the formal living room where both his uncle and aunt were sitting. Aunt Lizzie seemed a little annoyed, but she tried to cover it with a plastic-looking attempt at a smile in his direction.

"You've eaten, then, dear?" She asked, in a sticky-sweet tone of voice he was not used to hearing from her lips.

"Yeah, Bart's dad bought us some drive-through burgers and fries," he said. Jack hated this kind of small talk. Especially when he knew there was something else lurking behind the facade, just waiting to jump out and bite him in the butt.

"Oh, good. That was very thoughtful of him." Aunt Lizzie said, then took a sip of the pale-yellow liquid in the crystal goblet she held in her right hand. She glanced then at her husband, an indication that she relinquished the floor to him for the heavy lifting part of the discussion.

"You've been gone quite a long time today, Jack." He paused briefly, then continued, "And since you were with Bart, following our earlier conversation, we expect you probably shared at least some of that information with him?" The lilting intonation at the end of his sentence made it clear he was asking a question and wanted a response.

"Well," Jack began slowly, not sure how much he should reveal, "Bart has been worried about me since what we thought was a seizure happened this morning. So, I did tell him that I didn't have a seizure. But that magical crap you told me about? How was I supposed to expect him to believe that? I don't even believe it myself." He figured if he threw it back in their laps, he could hopefully avoid having to say too much.

Lizzie and Earl stared through Jack for a couple of moments, then looked at one another and then back at Jack again.

"How did you explain your event this morning, then, Jack? And where were you all day?"

Earl was no idiot. Jack's brain was spinning out of control. How was he going to get out of this mess?

"I...I...told Bart that after talking to you guys and telling you the details, you decided it was best to watch and see if the event repeats itself. But that we shouldn't worry about it if it happened to be a one-time, random event."